The Engine Shop
BECAUSE THIS COLUMN will be coming out at roughly the same time as AMA's Celebration of Pioneers, I'm going to devote it to the model airplane engines that got "Gas Model" flying started. These Old-Timer spark-ignition types still provide the motive power for many models today, such as in the popular SAM (Society of Antique Modelers) Free Flight events. Primitive miniature "gas engines" have been used for flying model airplanes since before World War I. But they didn't become obtainable to "average model fliers" until the mid-1930s. That was when the Brown Junior .60 (manufactured in Philadelphia) and the Baby Cyclone .36 (made in Los Angeles) first appeared in America's hobby shops.
The Engine Shop
MOST MAIL I'VE received in response to this column can be classified into three main topics. One is, "Where can I buy the product you recommended?" That's sometimes embarrassing. Months usually elapse between the time I first obtain an item for testing, and the publication of my column reporting on it. Meanwhile, the product may be discontinued by its maker. That's what happened with the engine-cleaning solvents I recommended in "The Engine Shop" last year. I never did learn why Sears quit selling Sokoff, but it was probably because of the inevitable hazards in using this exceedingly powerful solvent. Accidental spillage of Sokoff by a small child (or even the similar, but milder-acting Z-Best Engine Cleaner) could lead to tragedy.
The Engine Shop
IN A PREVIOUS column I discussed three categories of reader questions that I regularly receive. There are two more kinds of reader queries I didn't mention then; these are by far the most difficult for me to answer. One is: "Please send me all available information on ____." I get about one request of that sort per column. It doesn't matter much what subject's being inquired about: CO2 motors, ABC engines, diesel fuel, some specific make of old-time engine; usually it would take a good-sized book to supply "all available information." I can appreciate the motivation behind this sort of query. A reader finds out about something that strikes his interest strongly; something he knew nothing of previously. He then enthusiastically sends a letter or an E-mail message, wanting to find out all about this intriguing new topic.
The Engine Shop
MODEL AIRPLANE ENGINES have been in use for almost seven decades. In discussions about them throughout that time, one topic recurs: fuel. Despite all the technical advances made since the 1930s, there still seems to be just as much misunderstanding as ever about model engine fuel. Raymond Yates's 1942 book Model Gasoline Engines filled two pages warning readers against the practice of "souping up" their model fuel by adding benzol, acetone, and other "secret ingredients." Since then, model magazine articles have repeatedly issued similar cautions. Yet there's never an end to the "burning ambition" among modelers to discover some new and amazingly potent fuel mixture for their engines. About a year ago, a model flier in Michigan began promoting a "new miracle" model fuel ingredient made from reclaimed deep-fryer oil. In my mail last month came a suggestion from a reader of this column that turpentine might be an excellent additive to model fuel.
The Engine Shop
IN A RECENT COLUMN 1 wrote, "Few reference books devoted to model airplane engines are available nowadays." In response to that statement, Dave Gierke mailed me a copy of his book, 2-Stroke Glow Engines For R/C Aircraft. This is a truly comprehensive, exceptionally well-written, and thoroughly illustrated work that covers considerably more territory than its title suggests. The first dozen chapters of Dave's book cover the general "theory," design, and development of model airplane engines, including material on early spark-ignition types-and even Free Flight and Control Line power plants. The latter half of the book is devoted to "operational topics," and I can't think of any significant area that Dave has missed.
